Payne's Gray
by Midnight.Rhapsody13
Summary: When our dective's 15-year-old sister suddenly turns up on his doorstep, both of their lives are turned upside down. Neither can stand the other, and poor Watson is left picking up the pieces. Back from hiatus, will strive to continue.
1. Chapter 1

I

It was autumn, the first frost had not yet swept over London, neither had the fresh new snow grazed the rooftops. But the autumn leaves were in their prime, brilliantly colored, and, to the fifteen year old girl, shockingly beautiful. Having never been to London, everything there possessed a magical feel. Even though she had seen plenty of fall leaves on her father's estate in the country, she couldn't help but fuss over London leaves...

London! Just the name of the city made her quiver with excitement; the bustling city had been on her mind for countless months, even years. Pressing her nose to the glass of the carriage window, she peered out into the street, barely able to keep the broad grin off her face. Suddenly, she sat up again, as if remembering why she was in this carriage to London. Folding her hands in her lap, she recalled her governess's face. Sit up straight, avoid direct eye contact with anyone, and never allow your lips to meander into a smile. Why? No reason. The girl grimaced, then shook away her governess's scowling, pallid face. Her name? Elizabeth Holmes. Personality? Rather like organised chaos.Why exactly she was here, she knew. To pay a visit to her brothers, Mycroft and Sherlock. But both her brothers were strangers to her, and no more than a distant memory. They hardly wrote even to their parents, and the only news from Sherlock was the stories that were published in The Strand.

She knew of her brothers' abilities, yet she was not intimidated, only curious. As the carriage pulled up to 221B Baker Street, Elizabeth's lips curved into a devious smile.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you all so much for reviewing! Those very kind words and advice made my day! Here I present, chapter two!**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN Sherlock Holmes, Dr.Watson, Mycroft Holmes...ect. :)**

II

Watson had never seen the look that now occupied his friend's face. It was a mixture of confusion, anger, and even a rather subtle fear. Returning his gaze to the girl standing before them, he smiled awkwardly and began an introduction.

"Good afternoon……Miss…."

"Holmes," replied the girl smoothly, head held high. She was a good two heads shorter than both the men standing infront of her, but she still managed a unruly boldness.

"Holmes," confirmed Watson, voice unsteady. He did notice a resemblance, same dark hair, the tall and slender build...yet Holmes had never mentioned a sister...

But his train of thought was left uncompleted, because Sherlock Holmes, who usually kept his composure, lost it.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry this took so long, I was overcome by a rather severe case of writer's block. Thank you all for the wonderful reviews!! Here I presento: Chapter Three**

III

"Why in the world are you here?!" The detective exclaimed, exasperated. He jumped out of his chair, "Please allow me the pleasure of showing you the way out!"

In one swift motion, he grabbed his sister's wrist and started toward the door, but in total determination, the girl dug her heels into the carpet.

"No!" his sister's reply was hard, and resolute. Holmes stopped, as though he had been jerked back by an invisible leash, and he stared down at the girl. Who returned his stare with the same amount of force.

"I am here on Mother's accord," she uttered in a rather ominous whisper, "Surly you don't dare contradict her……"

"What if I do?"

"You'll have her to answer to," the girl stuck out her tongue. Holmes let go of her wrist, looking slightly revolted. But finally, he sat down again.

"Sister, please, do me the courtesy of explaining to me why you delight us with your presence," Holmes's now overly controlled voice was tainted with a dash of sarcasm.

"I wanted to visit you, dear brother," the girl's reply was cold.

"Have you considered various factors?" His eyes darted across her face, "Such as work? You much realize that I must make a living,"

"I don't understand why that is a problem," she smiled slightly, but without feeling. "I know of your profession, and I don't believe my presence here would be an inconvenience,"

Holmes gritted his teeth, and Watson uttered a sigh, this was going to be a long afternoon.


	4. Chapter 4

IV

Watson had stood watching, helpless, as he watched Elizabeth Holmes force her way through her brother's protests to obtain a stay at Baker Street. The girl had raised her voice at the end, alarming both her brother and his friend, but Holmes _had_ raised his voice first...

Holmes was currently standing moodily by the window, blue rings of smoke drifting from his pipe, obviously very irritated. His sister was sitting with her back to him in his favorite armchair by the fire (claiming new territory already?), arms crossed stubbornly across her chest, her jaws clenched in the aftermath of the argument. Noticing Watson's curious gaze, her gray eyes flickered to his face, and after studying the doctor awhile, she grinned, then was confused when Watson quickly became preoccupied with staring at his shoes.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I'm back. I've been extremely busy with school work and such...and writer's block has struck again... But enough of my excuses...The inspiration for this actually came to me when I was doing math :) **

V

Elizabeth paused before entering the room, unable to stifle the gasp that escaped her; she raised her hand to her mouth. Holmes, who was lazily munching on a piece of toast, raised his eyebrows in a parody of a friendly greeting. The girl ignored it, and began to study the body that now claimed a large section of the Persian carpet, but stopped. Not wanting to vomit on an empty stomach. She decided to eat first. Then, at least, she would have something to vomit. Walking slowly to the table, she murmured a hello to her brother and the doctor. But her eyes were fixed upon the body.

"What……happened……?" she mumbled as she helped herself to some food. She should be scared. Yes. But she wasn't. There was no fear rushing through her mind.

No answer.

"What happened?" she repeated, turning to stare at the two men.

Holmes had now finished the toast, and was staring rather fixedly at the ceiling. "It is none of your concern, sister,"

"Why?" she demanded, frowning.

He shot her a piercing glance, which she returned with as much venom as she could. He sighed, then started to carefully place the tips of his white fingers together. The doctor smiled amicably, but also said nothing.

"How can this be none of my concern?!" the girl sputtered, "There is a dead girl on my brother's carpet!"

The girl frowned at the non-existent reactions of the two men, then with a childish gesture of defiance, she swept over to sit beside the body.

"I am perfectly capble of finding things out myself," she said hotly, but calmed down once more as she began to examine the body. The victim seemed only a few years older than Elizabeth herself, with a perfectly crafted face framed by luxurious brown curls. The woman had on a cherry-colored dress, and not to mention a huge, crimson blood stain on her chest. Upon seeing the wound, Elizabeth Holmes stopped breathing. Where the woman's heart should have been, there was nothing but a huge, gaping hole.


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm back! Though I've changed my pen name, it's still me! :) I'm so sorry for not updating sooner, but I've been extremely busy! But contrary to my best friend's belief, I have not forgotten about this! **

VI

Elizabeth scrambled backwards, her eyes wild with astonishment. Struggling up, she coughed slightly in an attempt to regain her composure.  
"Why is there a...a corpse on the floor?" she was shaken. Although determined not to show it, her faltering voice gave her away. "I--"

She was interrupted by a rather loud bark of laughter. She turned around only to watch the doctor very grudgingly flip a silver shilling to her brother. Holmes, from whom the loud laugh had originated , somehow looked incredibly like a young boy who had just won at a game of marbles. His rather tousled hair and shining gray eyes only contributed even more to the image.

"I knew it, Watson, did I not tell you?" The dective's eyes were aglow with triumphant glee. "There would be no possibility of a steady reaction from those of the opposite sex,"

Elizabeth was about to retort when she was interrupted once again by a cold, ringing voice from the doorway.

"I'm glad, Mr.Holmes," the voice was awash with sarcasm, "That you find the death of my daughter so amusing."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

A balding, enormously tall man slouched into the room, his hands stuffed in his pockets, a pronounced scowl on his grossly corpulent visage.

"Mr. Holmes," he growled, "With all due respect..." The man's strong, coarse voice suddenly cracked, and before any of the three could react, he crashed onto his knees, tears cascading down his cheeks. A seemingly inhuman howl followed the sudden outbreak, causing goosebumps to rise along the girl's arms.

Elizabeth sneaked a glance at her brother and the doctor, who were exchanging looks themselves. The doctor rose, and in a hushed whisper, proceeded to usher her out of the room.

"Miss.Holmes..." Watson smiled unnecessarily. "Please..."

She shook her head. She respected and liked the doctor, (due partly to the fact that he had given up his room the night before to provide her with a bed that was anything but Holmes' armchair) but the nagging, clawing curiosity at the back of her mind was not going to evaporate anytime soon. However, she instinctively knew that it was not time to give the doctor or her brother any trouble.

She would listen anyway, crouching in an extremely unladylike manner, ear pressed to the door.


	8. Chapter 8

VIII

The two men had left the girl scarlet-eared and fuming, shouting her reasons and stomping her feet. She'd wanted to experience the thrill of an authentic investigation, but her brother just _had _to insist that she stay behind. It was too _dangerous_, she was too _young_. Glaring at their retreating figures out the windowpane, she traced the symmetric pattern of the sparkling frost with a long, delicate finger. Lost, for several valuable seconds, in the labyrinth of her own thoughts, she bit her lip to bring the world back to acute focus. She knew what she was to do, and she understood the consequences of her potential actions...but the pros were outweighing the cons. Heavily outweighing them.


End file.
